We ended up falling for the classic "The temple isn't open yet" scam. Yes, the one listed in the Lonely Planet that we didn't read. However, it worked out alright. We were able to ride around the city in a tuk-tuk for a few hours, see some different sites, make mandatory visits to the tailors and gem stores and then make it back to the Grand Palace, all for a low low price of 40 baht.